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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29690163">Denouement</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lqior_astra/pseuds/lqior_astra'>lqior_astra</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Mentalist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Explanations, Gen, Hijinks &amp; Shenanigans, Lisbon's Report, Post-Episode s02e06: Black Gold and Red Blood, Some Humor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 02:08:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,588</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29690163</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lqior_astra/pseuds/lqior_astra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After filling out all the incident paperwork, Lisbon finds out exactly how Jane escaped jail. Picks up immediately after the end of 2x06, Black Gold and Red Blood. This story is a birthday gift for Lady_of _Winterhell!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Patrick Jane &amp; Teresa Lisbon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Denouement</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_of_Winterhell/gifts">Lady_of_Winterhell</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lisbon watched Jane walk out of her office, smug as ever. </p>
<p>Shaking her head, she got to work filling out reports. Top brass had already been all over her for letting Jane get out of jail, and she cursed the fact that she was having to write her way out of a reprimand. She had already had to say it a hundred times, a hundred ways: There was no controlling Patrick Jane. </p>
<p>Besides, it wasn’t as if it was her fault. She couldn’t be watching him 24/7, especially when he was in jail. But annoyance at prison guards never made a good report, so she did her best to spin the events of the case in a way that would reflect well on the CBI. </p>
<p>
  <i>Arrest Report: #02378</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Reporting Officer: Agent Teresa Lisbon</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Incident: Eavesdropping, escape in the first degree - ALL CHARGES DROPPED</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Detail of Event: Patrick Jane was arrested for eavesdropping on Agent Samuel Bosco via an electronic listening device hidden in his office. The device was found during a routine bug sweep, and Agent Bosco pressed charges. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Actions Taken: Patrick Jane was arrested by Agent Samuel Bosco on November 5th, 2009. He was immediately sent to a county detention center. Jane was not in protective custody at any time during his stay, having waived it upon arrival. He continued to work a case with his team, contributing to several breakthroughs. However, on the third day of his stay in jail, Patrick Jane escaped from prison via an external door. It is unknown exactly how he escaped, but the violation of his confinement led to both an escape charge as well as the closure of the Kirby Hines murder case.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Summary: It is my professional opinion that Patrick Jane should be allowed to continue working with the Serious Crimes Unit at the CBI, as demonstrated by his exemplary closure rate. It is well-known by now that he tends to exercise free reign of any situation as he sees fit, something that I don’t think he will stop doing anytime soon. It doesn’t make sense to remove him from the team for what went wrong on this case, especially seeing as how Agent Bosco has agreed to drop the charges against him. Because Jane’s arrest was caused by a professional disagreement between him and Agent Bosco, resolution of this issue will be encouraged by both myself and Director Minelli. A formal complaint will be put in his file, but the removal of Patrick Jane from my team would have detrimental consequences for this bureau. <i></i></i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>In reviewing the facts of the case, Lisbon realized exactly how little she knew about how Jane managed to get out of a county prison. She pulled a little bag out of one of her desk drawers and went to find him on his couch. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Jane,” she said, tossing the paper bag at him. “I got you something.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He caught it effortlessly, peeking in the top. “A blueberry muffin? Lisbon, you shouldn’t have!” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You’re right, I shouldn’t have,” Lisbon grumbled, moving to sit next to him. “Do you have any idea what a pain in the ass you are?” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I think you might have mentioned it a few times, yes.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Any sane person would have just let you get fired the first time you caused something like this. But for some reason, I just keep stepping in to save you.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>It was something she had learned when she first joined the police force. You always step in to help a fellow officer, no one gets left behind. She had done the same for Bosco when she worked with him years ago, despite the guilt that came with it. Lisbon supposed that was why she always stuck up for Jane. He had no good way of defending himself against the bureaucracy, being an independent consultant. She always ended up using her reputation as a dependable agent in his favor. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“And I appreciate you for it.” He broke off half of the muffin and handed it to her. “Consider this a peace treaty.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“A peace treaty? For what?” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I won’t ask any more questions about Bosco. Not that I need to, I already figured out what happened.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Deal.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>They sat in silence, sharing the muffin. Lisbon was trying her best not to think about Jane’s insinuation that Sam Bosco had romantic feelings for her. It couldn’t be possible. But the more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. That would explain his bizarre behavior towards her those past few weeks. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“So, what did you put in your report?” Jane asked, interrupting her train of thought. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Oh, just the same old thing. ‘Despite this incident, Patrick Jane should still be allowed to work with the CBI’ et cetera, et cetera. We should start keeping track of how many times I’ve saved your job.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Meh.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“How did you do it?” Lisbon asked, turning to look him in the eye. “You escaped prison, Jane. A county prison, but I know for a fact there are guards.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He grinned, eyes sparkling. “I was wondering when you were going to ask! Admit it, you’ve been curious since the arrest.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“No, I haven’t!” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“High voice. You’re lying. If you’re so desperate to know, I’ll tell you. Grab a notepad, Lisbon, write it down. You may need to escape jail someday and this will come in handy.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She scoffed. “I highly doubt there will ever be a time when I need to escape jail.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Suit yourself. The key is to read people. From the moment you arrive, you have to analyze everyone you come across. File that information away, look for any discrepancies.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“What does that even mean? What exactly am I looking for?” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Fears, personality quirks, routine. If you can put a person in a mental box describing who they are, then you’re good. One of the desk guards was complaining about the mouse infestation. Prisons can be nasty. He called them vermin. A negative connotation is associated with fear or dislike. That little tidbit went in the box with my mental image of him.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Right. So the key is to know everything about everyone.” Lisbon rolled her eyes. It was the same thing he always said. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“It takes the fun out of it when you say it like that,” he complained. “You have to know routines, too. General building layout, times they rotate the guards. Things like that. You’d be surprised how unprotected prisons can be sometimes.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I’m sure I would.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Once you have all that information, you just have to put it together. Like any good con, the trick is to convince everyone involved. If I could find a way to get near the desk guard with a mouse, he might turn his back long enough for me to get out one of the external doors.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>By this point, Lisbon’s head was spinning. She never was able to understand how he could keep all that information straight in his mind, let alone formulate a plan with it. He made it seem so easy, describing it to her like this, but she knew the things he did took meticulous planning. Suddenly, she was glad she’d never been in a position where she needed to escape jail. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Lisbon sat back, arms crossed. “So you memorized the days and the building layout and escaped that way?” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Kind of. Something my cellmate said gave me an idea.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You had a cellmate?” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I was only there on eavesdropping charges, so I wasn’t in protective custody,” he explained. “When I was first brought in, he told me I didn’t need to worry about being beaten up because the prison had good medical facilities. Interesting guy.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You got beat up?” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Nah. I wowed the crowd with my intellect right off the bat. Figured it would be easiest if I got the leader on my side. But I figure, if they have good medical treatment for inmates, it shouldn’t be hard to convince them that I was hurt, right?” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Right. So you faked an injury.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Not yet. You’re getting ahead of yourself. When I asked you to come visit me, what did I ask you to bring?” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“A blueberry muffin,” Lisbon said slowly. “Which turned out to be a cranberry muffin. Please don’t tell me you used it to catch a mouse.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He looked away, picking up his teacup. “I used it to catch a mouse.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Jane!” She admonished, glaring at him.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“That’s why I didn’t tell you what it was for,” he said. “I knew you wouldn’t bring it, and I really needed it. You helped a lot, Lisbon, I might say your role of muffin provider was the key.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She dropped her head into her hands, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Great. So I helped you escape.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Not knowingly. Don’t worry, you won’t get in trouble.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“That’s not what I’m concerned about. I would never have brought you that muffin if I knew you were going to use it to escape. You were in jail for a reason.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Lisbon, he had the Red John files,” Jane said, looking pained. “But I told you I wouldn’t talk about Bosco anymore. I used the muffin as bait. Well, half of it. My cellmate got the other half.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Okay. So you lured a mouse into your cell, then what? How’d you get from inside the cell to an outside door?” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Patience. I’m getting there. I used the Bible as a weight, tied it to a string I made out of the sheets. All the mouse had to do was go into the bag, and bingo. Bait. I used a biofeedback trick to slow my heart rate, laid down on the ground as if I had passed out, and my cellmate called for a medic.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Lisbon glared at him. “I can’t believe you. You took the mouse with you, probably scared that poor guard to death!” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Exactly.” Jane grinned. “They got me out near the desk, and I picked the lock on my restraints. Then all I had to do was call the guard over and show him the mouse and he was off like a shot. I put the mouse in a storage closet with him to keep him busy, took his jacket, and walked right out the door.” He sat back, satisfied with his story. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Right out the door and off to Dooley Gerber’s house. I can’t believe you.” She shook her head. “You’re absolutely insane, you know that? You could have gotten caught.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“No one would have caught me. It was a foolproof plan.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Lisbon scoffed. “No plan is foolproof.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Semantics.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You solved the case, but I really should be mad at you.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Are you?” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I don’t condone what you did, but you closed the case. That’s worth something.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Aww, Lisbon,” he teased. “How sweet.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Shut up. You know the reason I protect your ass in all these reports is that you’re good for closure rates.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Jane grinned and a genuine smile lit up his face. One of his “you know you love me” smiles. It made his eyes look brighter and younger. Lisbon was always happy to see him grin like that. It was so rare. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“One of these days, you’re going to have to let me read some of these reviews. I’d love to know how you explain everything in a way that lets us both keep our jobs. Make it into a little book or something,” he said. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Not a chance. It’s enough work just writing them, I don’t need a side project.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Suit yourself. Maybe I’ll find them myself, see what there is to see.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Don’t give me that,” she said, shaking her head. “I send them directly to the higher-ups. No need to dwell on one of your shenanigans for longer than necessary.” With that, she walked away, muttering something about responsibility. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Jane felt the childish urge to stick his tongue out at her, but she was already gone.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>_</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Not even half an hour after she left Jane on his couch, Lisbon found herself seated directly across from Virgil Minelli in his office. It wasn’t as if she didn’t expect it, there were sure to be things he needed cleared up after a case like this. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I take it you talked to Jane?” Minelli asked, putting down her report. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Yes, sir. He didn’t promise not to do it again, but I told him he needed to be more responsible,” Lisbon said. “But you know how Jane is. Just because I tell him not to do something doesn’t mean he’ll listen.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I know. But listen, he’s not going to get away with things like this every time.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Lisbon nodded. “Agent Bosco was generous in dropping the charges.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You and I both know there’s more to it, but I won’t pry. What I care about is that the charges do get dropped. With the influx of complaints about Jane’s behavior, it’s getting harder to justify employing him.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I understand.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I’ve got a whole stack of complaints filed that I still need to go through,” he complained. “Apologies to be issued, statements to be made.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>At that, Lisbon almost wanted to laugh. “Jane just doesn’t know when to stop, sir. But he does good work.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I know. That’s why we keep him around. He does wonders for our closure rates. Your team has the highest close ratio in the bureau, and I’d like to keep it that way.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Yes, sir. I’d like that too, but Jane is Jane. He’s going to do what he wants, when he wants to do it. I have a hard enough time controlling him at the office. Crime scenes and interrogations are a whole other thing.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“He’s a wild card. A loose cannon, if you will. I don’t like dealing with the repercussions of his shenanigans any more than you do, but he closes cases. That said, I don’t like the fact that he managed to escape custody. That speaks to a bigger issue.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“It is,” Lisbon agreed. “But it’s out of my hands. Did you read the report?” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I did. It was well said. Your positive affirmations are the balance to all these complaints he has in his file.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I do my best. God knows he needs it.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Responsibility is something he’s familiar with by now. But he doesn’t act like it. You’re a good agent, Lisbon. He listens to you more than other people.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She shrugged. “I don’t know why. You have more pull than me.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“He sees you as an ally instead of a boss. That’s a good thing. Keep him in that position, and he may start to keep out of trouble one of these days.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“With all due respect, I don’t think Jane will ever stop causing trouble.” When Minelli didn’t respond, Lisbon stood up to leave, but he stopped before she got to the door. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Lisbon? Off the record, you’re doing a fine job with Jane. Lord knows I would have lost my patience by now. Keep up the good work.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Thank you, sir.” </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Lisbon left the office feeling lighter than air. It always felt good to have her boss praise her skill, and while it didn’t happen often, she always felt rather giddy on the days it did. Jane gave her a knowing look as she walked by him on the way to her office. She smiled at him, too happy to pretend to be mad, and he grinned back with relief. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>That was the thing about Jane, Lisbon supposed. It was hard to stay mad at him.</i>
  </i>
</p>
  </div></div>
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